There are many joys that come from starting life as a freelancer or small business owner – the empowering feeling of striking out on your own, the freedom to set your schedule, the sense of accomplishment when your ideas come to life. But one of the biggest headaches is suddenly being in charge of your own finances, from payroll to budgeting to taxes, especially if you have limited experience in these areas.

NeuReality, an Israeli startup developing high performance AI compute for cloud data centres and edge nodes, emerges from stealth today with $8m seed from Cardumen Capital, OurCrowd and Varana Capital to fuel the growth of real life AI applications running at scale. NeuReality will introduce its first AI platform early this year.

Just one percent of VC-funded founders in the US are Black and the rates of investment in European Black-owned businesses even lower. Just three percent of Londoners working in the tech sector are Black and only 8.5% of senior leaders in the UK tech sector from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds.

Uptime, the free app that presents expertly curated five-minute Knowledge Hacks of the world’s best books, courses, and documentaries, has raised a $16m Seed round to bring its platform to more users globally. 

AberInnovation has announced the six winners from the first phase of BioAccelerate 2020, their flagship business accelerator programme for biotechnology, agri-tech and food and drink innovations.

The impact of innovation from the technology sector permeates our everyday lives. No sooner has one technology gone mainstream, but speculation begins on where the next big thing will come from, or what it will be.

As one of the UK’s leading third-party logistics providers, Wincanton plays a huge role in construction projects all across the UK. Now, with the launch of Sprint 3 of W2 Labs - an innovation lab designed to discover emerging innovative ideas and tackle some of the logistics industry’s toughest challenges, they are aiming to focus on the construction sector specifically.

For anyone looking to make the leap into self-employment, the moment might just have arrived. Insurance broker PolicyBee has uncovered that online searches for freelancers increased over the last year, particularly for individuals with digital marketing skills.

Jolt, a leading online business school backed by Octopus Ventures and Balderton Capital, today announces that it has created over 400 work placements at some of the UK’s most exciting tech businesses through its bespoke version of the Government’s Kickstart Scheme.

All businesses, growing or not, should be actively looking at ways to attract new customers all the time. Those companies that ignore new business, believing that their established customer base is enough to keep the business ticking over nicely, will usually get a rude awakening.  

Koa Health has announced it closed an oversubscribed €30m ($36m) Series A funding round. The round had a first close in October 2020, led by Wellington Partners Life Sciences and Ancora Finance Group, and has now been fully closed with key participations from MTIP and Akilia Partners, and further contributions from Creas Impacto, Sabadell Asabys, and Mundi Ventures.  

London-based 3D printing startup and innovation house, Satori has announced their latest collaboration, a collection of 3D printed necklaces, designed by 3D printing fashion designer, Ganit Goldstein and printed by Satori’s ST1600 3D printer.

Cloud Digital, experts in cloud strategy and digital transformation, is forging ahead with its new project, Earth Vision, after being awarded £99,453.33 funding from AeroSpace Cornwall to pivot from advanced cyber security into this flourishing sector.

Music has proved to have a special place in all our lives given how we play it when we are happy or sad. This is because it is a universal language that speaks to people on various levels. If you want to prove this, think of the memorable times when music made you feel special such as during your graduation, wedding, or after heartbreak. It is also said that music impacts your mental performance and productivity at work.

WeMaintain, recognised for radically transforming the lift market, has acquired French PropTech startup Shokly, whose tech solution has revolutionised fire alarm maintenance and management, to increase its presence in the smart buildings sector.

Gelato, the Norway-born print-on-demand solution which allows SMEs, creators, and a new generation of e-commerce entrepreneurs to localise the production and delivery of customised products to customers based in any location in the world. 

In today’s world, ailments like anxiety, depression, and ADHD have become so commonplace that it almost seems abnormal to NOT have one of them (or at the very least know someone who does).

If you’re growing a business that has a purpose beyond making profit the world of investment might feel daunting. But there is a breed of investors who are looking to see their investments making a social and environmental impact and they are on the look out to back the leaders of the future. This is an opportunity you can’t miss.

In an ever-changing landscape, marketers and digital businesses alike are forced to adapt with the times as new opportunities arise and existing strategies become redundant.

It goes without saying, but COVID-19 has affected women pretty harshly. Although everyone is facing unprecedented challenges, women in particular are bearing the brunt of the economic and social fallout of the coronavirus. Often, they’ve taken on the bulk of childcare during lockdowns and usually more likely to run businesses in sectors most affected by the pandemic such as retail, hospitality and leisure.